Friday, August 31, 2012

Chamonix is dominated by the white majestic dome of Mont Blanc, at 4,810m the highest mountain in western Europe.

Every year the summit of Mont Blanc becomes the ultimate objective for mountaineers the world over, all striving to stand on top of the roof of Europe and look down on all of the major summits of the Alps.

To climb Mont Blanc from Chamonix, people normally chose one of the two most common routes. Slightly more technical, the route from the Aiguille du Midi, over Mont Blanc du Tacul and Mont Maudit is generally quieter, and highly dependent on conditions.

The slightly easier and more reliable option is via the Tramway du Mont Blanc to the Nid d'Aigle, then up the Aiguille du Gouter and the Bosse ridge.

While not technically challenging, ascending Mont Blanc requires a high level of physical fitness and experience using crampons and an ice axe.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

The Aiguille du Midi (3,842 m) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps.The cable car to the summit, the Téléphérique de l'Aiguille du Midi, was built in 1955 and held the title of the world's highest cable car for about two decades. It still holds the record as the highest vertical ascent cable car in the world, from 1,035 m to 3,842 m. There are two sections: from Chamonix to Plan de l'Aiguille at 2,317 m and then directly, without any support pillar, to the upper station at 3,777 m (the building contains an elevator to the summit). The span of the second section is 2,867 m measured directly, but only 2,500 m measured horizontally. Thus it remains the second longest span width, measured directly. The tramway travels from Chamonix to the top of the Aiguille du Midi – an altitude gain of over 2,800 m – in 20 minutes. An adult ticket from Chamonix (as of 9/5/2012 to 30/11/2012) is €52.20 return.

The Aiguille summit contains a panoramic viewing platform, a cafe and a gift shop. The Vallée Blanche ski run begins here, and the nearby Cosmiques Refuge is the starting point for one of the routes to the Mont Blanc summit. From the Aiguille another cable car (summer months only), the Vallee Blanche Aerial Tramway crosses the Glacier du Geant to Pointe Helbronner (3,462 m) at the Italian side of the Mont Blanc Massif. Pointe Helbronner is served with a cable car from La Palud, a village near Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley (Italy).

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

This photo was taken on 12nd July 2012, day of the tragedy when 9 alpinists were killed by an avalanche on Mont-Blanc. You can see the avalanche on this shot (note) that reminds us we are nothing versus the nature !Thanks to our guide Matthieu who had the brilliant idea to delay of 1 hour our departure that day. Definitively, his decision allowed us to avoid the avalanche and save our lives !!!

Sometimes the Mont Maudit is debased to be only a satellite of the Mont Blanc instead of an independent goal of climbers. But this judgement is not justified at all since the Mont Maudit has a lot of very interesting and difficult couloirs. It is an important climbing mountain of the Mont Blanc MASSIF. The ice-balconies of the Mont Maudit are only one part. It is the "tame" side with direction to the West and Northwest. You traverse these glacier flanks if you climb the Mont Blanc via the Mont Blanc du Tacul starting from the Aiguille du Midi. As part of this Mont Blanc route, the Mont Maudit (which lies in the Northeast of the Mont Blanc, 1,8 km far away from the main summit of the Mont Blanc) is interesting for "normal" alpinists who usually climb 4000m peaks. On this way, it takes already 6 to 7 hours from the Aiguille du Midi via the Mont Blanc du Tacul.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

The Gran Paradiso (4061m) is the highest mountain entirely within Italy and a constant snowy companion on the Southern alpine skyline from the Mont Blanc Massif. Often climbed as a poor weather alternative to Mont Blanc the Paradiso has much more to recommend than just it's fine southern alpine climate. Lying in the Gran Paradiso National Park this is charming high alpine area set above the Italian Valsavarenche & Vallee d'Aoste. In early summer vibrantly colourful wild flowers and jostling Ibex give a spring in the step for the pleasant walk to the hospitable & lively Italian mountain hut from where the summit climb begins...

Thursday, August 2, 2012

The Aiguille du Midi (3,842 m) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps.The cable car to the summit, the Téléphérique de l'Aiguille du Midi, was built in 1955 and held the title of the world's highest cable car for about two decades. It still holds the record as the highest vertical ascent cable car in the world, from 1,035 m to 3,842 m. There are two sections: from Chamonix to Plan de l'Aiguille at 2,317 m and then directly, without any support pillar, to the upper station at 3,777 m (the building contains an elevator to the summit). The span of the second section is 2,867 m measured directly, but only 2,500 m measured horizontally. Thus it remains the second longest span width, measured directly. The tramway travels from Chamonix to the top of the Aiguille du Midi – an altitude gain of over 2,800 m – in 20 minutes. An adult ticket from Chamonix (as of 9/5/2012 to 30/11/2012) is €52.20 return.

The Aiguille summit contains a panoramic viewing platform, a cafe and a gift shop. The Vallée Blanche ski run begins here, and the nearby Cosmiques Refuge is the starting point for one of the routes to the Mont Blanc summit. From the Aiguille another cable car (summer months only), the Vallee Blanche Aerial Tramway crosses the Glacier du Geant to Pointe Helbronner (3,462 m) at the Italian side of the Mont Blanc Massif. Pointe Helbronner is served with a cable car from La Palud, a village near Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley (Italy).